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The formula focuses on all of the factors that those surveyed ranked as being most important when booking a flight: time of day, punctuality and legroom.

Applying those criteria to flights, the formula will calculate the chance for 'flight perfection' out of a possible 20 marks.

The formula focuses on all of the factors that passengers ranked as being most important when booking

THE FORMULA FOR THE PERFECT FLIGHT:

T = Time of day

44 per cent of travellers said the time of their flight was the most important factor when booking a flight and when asked which time of day they would prefer to fly more than half (52 per cent) chose a morning flight, 27 per cent would fly at night, while just over a fifth would opt for an afternoon flight.

A scoring of 10 points for a morning flight, 5 for an evening flight and 3 for an afternoon flight has been applied, aiming to reflect the weighting of these preferences.

L = Legroom

Spacious seating was the feature that improved inflight happiness the most, with almost two thirds of participants (61 per cent). The formula therefore penalises any flight offering a seat pitch that is less than 30” (a standard pitch in economy) and increases the score by one point for every additional inch offered, up to a maximum of 40”.

P = Punctuality

The study also revealed that an on time flight is the most important factor for 38 per cent of travellers.

Forty four percent of travellers said that the time of their flight was the most important factor when booking, with more than half preferring a morning take-off.

As such, a scoring of 10 points for a morning flight, 5 for an evening flight, and 3 for an afternoon flight has been applied to reflect the weighting of said preferences.

Spacious seating was another feature that greatly improved passengers' in-flight happiness, with 61 per cent citing it as a crucial consideration.

Therefore, the formula penalises any flight offering a seat pitch that is less than 30 inches (standard in economy) and increases the score by one point for every additional inch to a maximum of 40 inches.

With the help of a mathematics professor, they then set out to devise a mathematical formula

Customers revealed that the most important aspects of a flight were time of day, punctuality and legroom

Applying the criteria, the formula will calculate the chance for 'flight perfection' out of a possible 20 marks

FACTORS OF IN-FLIGHT HAPPINESS:

1. Spacious seating - 61%

2. Good food and drinks - 48%

3. No turbulence - 44%

4. Unoccupied seat next to you - 33%

5. Getting a good price - 30%

6. A great view - 24%

Finally, and perhaps most obviously, punctuality was revealed to be the most important factor for 38 per cent of travellers.

Although difficult to predict, there are some reports that rank the best performing airlines in terms of their on-time performance, which allows passengers to see the percentage of flights that were on time for the corresponding month the year prior.

All in all, for the ultimate experience in the skies, you'll want to book a flight in the morning, have a seat with legroom of 40 inches and a punctuality score of as close to 100 as possible.

Skyscanner hopes that the formula will help in the search process to effectively compare flight options

In this case, despite being more expensive, the British Airways flight has a much higher 'perfection' score

Skyscanner's Mary Porter commented: 'Our study showed that there are many elements that passengers are looking for from their flight, other than simply the ticket price.

'While you might not find a flight with a score of 20, we think this formula can really help in the search process to compare flight options to see which has the highest flight perfection score.

'For instance if one flight is £30 more than another, but actually it offers a more convenient take off time, the aircraft used will give more legroom, the airline has a greater punctuality record and it offers award-winning food, for many passengers this flight will offer better value for money.

We want to equip our customers with all the tools and knowledge they need in order to get the best flight for their particular wants and needs.'